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Thursday, 1 June 2017

12 royal birthdays in June

If you're planning on sending royal birthday cards this month, it's time to get busy. There are a lot of royals blowing out candles in this sunny month, so many in fact it's girls only here and the boys will follow later. As the sweet summer weeks of jolly June get under way, here are twelve birthday celebrations involving women born to royal houses.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is 35 on June 10th 2017Madeleine Therese Amelie Josephine, Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, was born on June 10th 1982 at the Drottningholm Palace. She is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. Princess Madeleine, now sixth in line to her country's throne, married Chris O'Neill in June 2013 and they have a son and a daughter.

Princess Desiree, Baroness Silfverschiold is 79 on June 2nd 2017Madeleine's auntie is also a June baby. Desiree Elisabeth Sybilla was born on June 2nd 1938 at the Haga Palace near Stockholm,the third daughter of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, and his wife, Sybilla. Her younger brother, Carl XVI Gustaf, is King of Sweden. Desiree was widowed earlier this year following the death of her husband, Baron Nils August Silfverschiold, who she married in August 1962. The couple had three children together.

The Duchess of Gloucester was born Birgitte Eva Henriksen on June 20th 1946 in Odense, Denmark. Her parents were Asger Henriksen and his wife, Vivian van Deurs, and when her parents separated she took her mother's surname. She married Prince Richard of Gloucester on July 8th 1972 and became Duchess of Gloucester in 1974. With her husband, she has three children and six grandchildren.

Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien was born on June 16th 2005 in The Hague. She is the second daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. Alexia is regularly seen at events like King's Day and is currently second in line to the Dutch throne.

There are a lot of birthdays in the Netherlands this month with three other granddaughters of Princess Beatrix celebrating their special day too. The eldest of her grandchildren, Eloise Beatrix Sophie Laurence, was born on June 8th 2002. She is the first child and elder daughter of Prince Constantijn and his wife, Princess Laurentien, and is fifth in line to the Dutch throne.

Eloise got a brand new baby sister as a birthday present ten years ago. Leonore Marie Irene Enrica, the youngest child of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, was born on June 3rd 2006 in The Hague. Leonore is seventh in line to the Dutch throne.

Just weeks after the birth of Leonore, the Dutch Royal Family was celebrating again as another cousin joined the packed nursery. Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou, the second child of Prince Johan Friso and Princess Mabel, was born on June 18th 2006 in The Hague. The third of the royal cousins to arrive that year was never in line for the throne as her father had given up his dynastic rights at the time of his marriage.

Princess Astrid of Belgium is 55 on June 5th 2017Astrid Josephine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie was born on June 5th 1962, the first daughter and second child of the then Prince and Princess of Liege, Albert and Paola. Her father became King of the Belgians on the death of his brother, Baudouin, in 1993. By then, Astrid was married to Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este. The couple has five children and one granddaughter, Anna Astrid, who was bornin 2016.

Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia, second daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, was born on June 13th 1965 in Madrid. She was a high profile member of her royal family for many years and married Inaki Urdangarin in October 1997. Cristina was cleared of tax fraud charges earlier this year - her husband is appealing his conviction and prison sentence. Infanta Cristina, who lost her title of Duchess of Palma in June 2015, is currently sixth in line to the Spanish throne.

Irene de Borbon y Urdangarin is the fourth child and only daughter of Infanta Cristina of Spain and Inaki Urdangarin. She was born in Barcelona on June 5th 2005 and now lives in Geneva with her family. Irene is tenth in line to the throne of Spain.

Princess Amalia of Luxembourg is 3 on June 15th 2017

Amalia Gabriella Maria Teresa was born on June 15th 2014 in Luxembourg. She is the first child of Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg and the first granddaughter of the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, Henri and Maria Teresa. Princess Amalia is currently third in line to her country's throne. She welcomed a baby brother, Liam, at the end of 2016.

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark was born on June 9th 1983 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington and counts two queen regnants, Elizabeth II and Margrethe II, among her godparents. She is the fourth child and second daughter of Constantine and Anne-Marie of Greece and grew up in London. Theodora is now an actress.